


It Will Come Back

by couchHouse, Werespiders



Series: It Will Come Back Extended Cinematic Universe [1]
Category: Invader Zim
Genre: Alternate Universe - Human, Alternate Universe - Werewolf, Animal Death, Childhood Friends, Found Family, Friends to Lovers, M/M, Slow Burn, Trans Character, Trans Female Character, Trans Male Character, Zim has an emotional moment watching a bear in the woods, autism hcs, cishets simply are not real they do not exist, family themes, or at least mentions
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-10-04
Updated: 2019-11-11
Packaged: 2020-11-15 09:53:47
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 15,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20864288
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/couchHouse/pseuds/couchHouse, https://archiveofourown.org/users/Werespiders/pseuds/Werespiders
Summary: Skoodge inherits his grandfather's old cabin he remembers visiting as a child. Though at first he's excited to make a place so full of memories his home, he soon notices that he isn't as alone out in the wilderness as he thought. Especially when he begins to sense the red, glowing eyes watching him from far away.Zim is a werewolf who feels Skoodge is encroaching on his territory but recognizes they aren't exactly strangers to each other. And maybe, in time, he won't want his old friend to leave as much as he thought he did."Eat up zasrs" - Danny "Couch" Couchhouse (2019)





	1. Dirty Town

Buildings towered over Skoodge’s head as he carefully balanced one of the many grocery bags in his hands, trying in vain to swipe the access card to his apartment building. He sighed as he missed the fourth try, looking up at the sky and taking in a breath. He exhaled in relief as a last, halfhearted movement triggered the beep and click of the door being unlocked. 'Finally.' He thought, shuffling inside.

The elevator was still out of order so he took the stairwell to his small apartment, huffing as he carried the heavy plastic bags and reached to grab the keyring on his belt loop. He only lived two floors up, but that didn’t stop the exhaustion from setting in as he reached the door to his hallway. This was a weekly routine for Skoodge’s days off from the fire station. That didn't mean it was any less of a pain in the ass but grocery delivery services were expensive, and even if he had the money he'd hate to burden someone else with having to carry a week's worth of groceries this far. The lights flickered a bit over the long hallway as he opened the door; Skoodge was thankful (not for the first time) that his apartment was relatively close to this entrance.

“Who’s there?” his neighbor’s door opened suddenly, startling him into almost dropping one of his bags.

Luckily, he didn’t drop it. Unluckily, the bottom broke, spilling out the contents of the heaviest bag all around his feet.

“Ah! Ms. Vermonstrausser! you scared me.” Skoodge readjusted his grip, sighing as he leaned over to try and gather the items that had dropped. Mostly sad-looking tv dinners for the freezer.

“I scared YOU?! I’m not the one banging around, making all this noise in the middle of the afternoon.” The older woman glared at him. “I swear, they never should have let you college students move into these buildings, always making a racket, no consideration for anyone but yourselves.”

“I’m 37…” Skoodge shook his head, realizing that it was pointless to argue. He looked up at his neighbor and tried to sound apologetic through his exhaustion. “Sorry, Ms. V, I guess I didn’t realize that I was making that much noise…”

“Hm!” She glared. “Well, realize it next time.” The door slammed, leaving Skoodge alone in the hallway once again. He sighed, turning to his door and hastily gathering the fallen groceries.

As his door shut he immediately leaned back against it, exhaling as he tried to bask in the familiarity of home. It didn’t feel as good as he imagined, but he liked to pretend it did. He walked to the tiny room that made up his kitchen/dining area and finally set his bags (as well as the now-creased boxes of the items that had fallen) on the counter. He looked up towards the windowsill where his tiny herb garden sat, giving a tired smile. It was a bit plain to be considered an "actual" garden, but he loved his plants nonetheless. He reached up for a moment to adjust the tiny tags he had given them. He forgot exactly what kinds they were, but the tags he made long ago still showed their names to be "Rosie", "Danny", and "Chip". Rosie was probably rosemary? The other two left him at a loss.

Then his phone started to ring, making him jump and pulling him away from his thoughts. He took it out of its holding case and inspected the number. It wasn’t marked in his contacts, so probably just a telemarketer…even so, a feeling in his gut compelled him to answer. He flicked his hand over the green button and held it up to his ear.

“Hello?”

“Hey, uhh…Is this…Skoodge? We don’t seem to have a last name on file but that’s a very…interesting first name.” The voice echoed through the receiver as Skoodge leaned against the counter, eyeing the groceries that had already begun to drip with condensation.

“Um, yes, this is Skoodge. Can I ask who’s calling?”

“Oh good! This is the Life After attorney’s office. There seems to be an addition to your grandfather’s will that wasn’t taken into account during the initial reading. It says that he meant for you to inherit…a cabin of some sort.” Skoodge almost dropped the receiver as he gaped, but quickly scooped it up before it could hit the ground. The voice on the other end seemed to pause at the commotion, “Skoodge?”

“Yes! Yes, I think I know the one you’re talking about. I-I used to visit there every summer. Sorry, I thought all of my grandpa’s property was sold with the land?”

“Well, it would seem not! Please don’t tell anyone about this oversight, I promise that it’s rare for pages to be lost like this. I’m sure if you wish to sell the property I could put you in touch with a realtor-“

“No! Or, no, sorry for interrupting, I-” Skoodge laughed, taking a seat at his dining room table. “I guess I’m just...surprised, is all.”

“Well, I suppose I can understand that. I must warn you that the cabin itself isn’t in the best condition, or I would guess it isn’t. Essentially that spot of land has laid vacant since his death, around…”

“Thirteen years ago.”

“Exactly. So I can’t believe it’d be in the best shape. But even so, it might still be salvageable, many of those old buildings were built to last.”

Skoodge paused and looked around his almost-barren apartment for a moment, trying to visualize the house he had spent so many summers as a kid, seeing the stark contrast between there and this place that he, admittedly, never felt like he belonged. He shook his head, worried he was getting ahead of himself.

“When can I pick up the paperwork?”

“Whenever you’re ready. I’ll email you the address of our office and we can get everything squared away. There might be some property tax information we’ll need to go over, but as soon as that’s all finished the cabin and the surrounding area will be as good as yours.”

“Thank you so much, really, this is...Wow.”

“Don’t mention it. I’ll contact you with the details as soon as I can gather them. Have a nice day, Skoodge.”

The click on the other end of the line sounded as Skoodge began to lean back in his chair. He looked to the groceries on the counter that looked remarkably un-frozen at this point.

* * *

The following weeks felt like a blur to Skoodge, all leading up to the official day he would be moving into his grandfather’s old cabin. The woman he had spoken to on the phone was the first to voice her surprise when he told her this was his intention. To the outside eye, Skoodge admitted it didn’t make much sense. His apartment was modest but well-off enough from his job at the fire station, helped by the fact that he lived alone and didn’t have much interest in shopping. A majority of his paycheck per month went to groceries, his gym membership, rent, and local charities/volunteer groups. He also organized a majority of the hikes his station cited as “team-building excursions,” due to his interest in survival training (he always seemed to be the only one out of his crew to enjoy these trips, but no one had any other ideas.)

The few people who had visited his apartment would most likely describe it as plain, but decent enough. To give up this life to completely start over in an isolated forest town hours away, one he hadn’t seen since he was a child, was enough to make anyone question his choice.

His job was another issue. Both his agent and his fire captain disapproved of the transfer, seeing as the closest town to the cabin lacked a full system for lateral transfer. Skoodge wouldn't need to go through the academy again, but he'd still essentially be restarting from the bottom rung of the career that he’d been building for years. Everything seemed to be shouting from all directions that he should abandon this, sell the land or forget about it...

But today, as he looked out the windshield of his beat-up, red Ford to the sky bluer than he could’ve imagined, and the trees shining like a canvas of red, yellow, and orange, he knew that he belonged here. That he had made the right choice. He had been driving for the upwards of four hours and noticed pointedly that the air seemed to become clearer as he drew closer to his destination. The cars on the road were growing few and far between, and the GPS on his phone was ticking down the remaining twenty minutes. He had packed relatively lightly, the moving company he had rented from only bringing furniture such as his refrigerator, dresser, his bed frame and mattress, and various other assorted items. His agent had reassured him that some of the hardwood furniture in the cabin was very salvageable, and most of the other furniture had been cleared out by cleaning crews before that. She had mentioned over the phone some evidence of "squatters” in the home but quickly brushed that off before Skoodge could ask any questions. He supposed they were probably just neighborhood kids in need of a clubhouse and remembered fondly his old clubhouse as a kid...as well as his best friend from that time...

He was pulled from his thoughts as he saw the road in front of him even out, and he saw the town he spent so much of his childhood exploring. A wave of nostalgia washed over him, but something felt...different. He slowed his vehicle to see the warning signs posted throughout the area. “BEWARE OF MAD DOGS,” “$10000 REWARD FOR ANYONE WHO HAS INFORMATION ON LATEST ATTACKS,” and more warnings Skoodge couldn’t even make out. Some had holes that appeared to be made by small rocks or BBs.

“That’s...weird.” Skoodge kept on the road but raised his guard slightly. He couldn’t remember any problems with wolves around the area as a kid...but then again, his parents did keep him on a curfew back then. For some reason, this coupled with the overall quietness of the town sent a chill up his spine, if only for a moment.

To Skoodge’s relief, he was able to shake off this feeling as the town passed him by, leading him and the moving vans following close behind to a forested area even denser than before and a path marked by an ancient-looking mailbox. Skoodge turned into the driveway, realizing all at once the anticipation he had been feeling in the latter half of this drive finally coming to fruition.

He pulled his car up by the side of the house, assessing the condition the cabin was in after all this time. Surprisingly, it looked fine from the outside. Some moss had climbed its way to the roof on sections of the wall, and the paint had long-since faded or chipped away, but other than that the wood still appeared sturdy and together. He got out of his car as the movers began to unload their van, helping with some of the heavier pieces of furniture.

Skoodge was surprised even further when he entered the cabin and saw its current condition.

It was bare for the most part, save for a table and permanent countertops in the kitchen. Skoodge had anticipated this part, though. What came as a shock was the fact that (apart from some water damage on the ceiling, something he made a mental note to take care of later before any storms rolled in) the interior of the house seemed to have fared just as well as the outside. He silently thanked the cleaning crew and inspector his agent had recommended as well as the strong foundation of the house his grandfather built. A small voice at the back of his mind also considered the squatters his agent had mentioned and assumed that the condition of the house today probably was in no small part ensured by the life that occupied it at that time. He promised silently that if he ever met the stranger and they still needed a place to stay that he’d at least offer, the cabin had one guest bedroom after all, and he wasn’t averse to sharing his space with someone who needed it. Hell, if it was just teenagers he’d be more than happy to chip in and help them build a new clubhouse, he had a distinct memory of building one when he was around that age...

The furniture in the van only took around four hours to unload and move to the areas Skoodge had planned for so it wasn’t long until the movers left, and Skoodge was alone again.

He walked around in a stupor for a bit, nostalgia tinting the plain walls as he remembered his summers here. It was a small cabin, but Skoodge was glad to see it laid out in a similar way to how his apartment was. One living room that merged with a kitchen/dining room, one master and one guest bedroom, and a bathroom all spaced out over the one floor. There was also a basement and cellar that Skoodge distinctly remembered poking around in as a child in the early mornings before his grandparents woke up, trying to find his grandpa’s liquor stash but never quite building up the courage to steal some. He never really had much courage to do anything that might get him in trouble. That is until Zim came into his life...

Skoodge was nudged out of his thoughts by a sudden chill running through the air. Oh right, the house wasn’t outfitted with central heating yet. Skoodge sighed as he eyed the fireplace in the corner of the room, hoping it might suffice on its own as he unlatched the woodcutting ax from its holder near the door.

* * *

The fire roared to life as Skoodge stepped back to admire his handiwork. He supposed those survival training classes had come in handy for something as the flames seemed to be burning steadily enough. The light and warmth seemed to breathe a new life into the den of his home, and it made him smile. He stretched a bit as he walked to the kitchen, scrolling down to the recipe he had open on his phone. Typically taking it easy and ordering in would be standard fare for moving so far in a single day, but Skoodge surprisingly didn’t feel tired at all, he might've said he felt invigorated even. Besides, what’s a better way to celebrate than to cook a nice, warm meal.

He gathered all he needed on the countertop as he set to work making a simple beef stew recipe. He was glad he had decided to save the recipe in his notes, the reception here was predictably awful.

It took about an hour for the stew to reach a simmer on the stovetop, filling the room with the aroma. Skoodge smiled, almost giddy at the familiarity of it all. Despite the lack of most of the cabin's original furniture, and although this was the first time he occupied the cabin completely by himself...he felt indescribably at home here. The wind howled against the walls of the cabin, hinting at a storm coming in soon. He thought for a moment about going into town tomorrow to pick up some hardware supplies. After all, looks can be deceiving in regards to how bad that water damage is...

That’s when he heard the knocking at his door. He turned, wondering for a moment if it was a neighbor; but something about that concept seemed...strange in of itself. He looked at the clock, 9:30 would be a bit late for someone so far out in the country to extend their welcomes. Plus there was the fact that he hadn’t seen any other houses coming up here, he wasn't exactly expecting any “neighbors” in the first place. He pushed these thoughts back, rolling down his sleeves and walking towards the door, opening it to find...

No one. Strange. He tried to brush this off after a moment, but his attention was drawn to the noise once more. This time Skoodge realized it wasn’t from the door...It was from the coat-closet nearby. And this time it wasn’t knocking. This time it sounded like someone physically slamming against the door.

“Calm down, Skoodge...It’s probably just an animal...” But even if that was true, that possibility was scary in of itself. The most he had to deal with in the past was a rat infestation...the forest has much worse.

He carefully moved a shaking hand to the doorknob, but he couldn’t move towards it fast enough before it slammed open on its own, pushing him backward in surprise.

Skoodge jumped as what seemed like a small, furry creature leaped out of the pantry, looking up at him with blank, dark eyes. The shock caused Skoodge to freeze for a moment, that is until he noticed the buttons that glinted in the light that ran up the small creature’s belly.

“Wh…Huh?” Skoodge mumbled. The figure in front of him burst into giggles.

“Hehe! I got you!” The creature reached a paw upwards and tugged back the hood of the coat, revealing a small child with wild eyes and a messy, crooked smile. And he was smiling widely.

Skoodge stood almost statue-still as he stared at the young boy. He thought about the hours he had been here already…oh god, this child hadn’t been here all day, had he? The man tentatively knelt to be at the height of the boy, giving a smile that he hoped didn’t show his concern.  


“Hello. Uh..what’s your name? How long were you in there?”

“I’m Gir! Like a dog, grrrr!” The boy raked both hands through the air in a clawlike motion before pausing, looking down shyly at the floor. “and umm...I can’t remember, I think I fell asleep…”

Skoodge felt a chill run through the air. Peering through the door of the pantry he saw a hole in the wall, one that seemed like it had been repaired at one point but hastily torn open again...He sighed, mentally adding to the list of repairs he’d have to make as soon as possible. He shook his head before leaning down to Gir's height.

“Well, it’s nice to meet you, Gir. Can I ask why you’re all the way out here so late at night?” Gir nodded, his eyes gleaming, happy to have someone play along.

“I’m here to stop the intruder before dad comes back!”

Skoodge tilted his head a bit in confusion.

“Intruder…do you mean me?”

Gir nodded enthusiastically. “Yes! This is my dad’s house, and he’s going to need it soon, so you’d better!-“ the boy was cut off by his stomach rumbling loudly. His eyes popped wide open and moved subconsciously towards the pot of beef stew that simmered on the stove. His voice trailed off. Skoodge looked back for a moment but turned to smile at him reassuringly. He supposed that he had made too much for just one person anyway.

“Are you hungry, Gir?”

The young boy nodded, folding and unfolding his arms in front of him.

“Well, you’re more than welcome to join me if you’d like! There’s more than enough for both of us.” He gestured towards the dining table on the far side of the cabin, glad he had more than one chair. 

"Really?" Skoodge nodded, gesturing towards the kitchen area.

Gir’s eyes practically lit up, dashing towards the table as if this were a practiced ritual, excitedly waving his arms. 'He must've really been hungry' Skoodge thought to himself. He smiled in spite of himself at Gir's reaction and walked towards the pot, ladling a small amount into two bowls and setting one down in front of him.

“Now be careful, it’s hot- And be sure to roll up your sleeves!” Skoodge narrowly stopped Gir from dipping both sleeves into the broth, cringing at how hard the food stains might be to wash out, or if they’d be washed out at all before the boy in front of him decided to wear his coat again. He smiled as he noticed Gir heed his advice, rolling this sleeves up to his elbows in sincerity.

Upon closer inspection Skoodge couldn’t believe he thought the disguise was an actual animal, if just for a moment. It was a rough-looking thing, a patchwork costume that looked like it was made mostly out of old clothes, with two wool socks making up what looked like dog ears. In his defense though, it was hard to tell anything about the boy when he was moving so fast. Even now Gir’s legs jostled underneath the table, occasionally hitting a table leg. 

They ate in silence for several minutes, save for Gir’s loud slurping, until it finally hit Skoodge how strange this whole situation was. This boy couldn’t be more than 7, and he came all the way out here into the wilderness? Skoodge didn’t have any neighbors that he knew of...He cleared his throat.

“You said your dad was around here somewhere, Gir? Do you live nearby?”

Gir looked up, nodding enthusiastically before his eyes widened. He clasped his hands over his mouth in realization.

“Whoops, I mean...no!” He looked down, digging his spoon back into the stew and avoiding eye contact. Skoodge tilted his head a bit to the side at the boy’s response, pausing for a moment. He opened his mouth to say something but was interrupted by an eerily close sound from outside.

It sounded like a wolf's howl, or at least what Skoodge imagined a wolf to sound like...But there was something else there as well. Something about it sounded almost...Human. Like a voice calling out for someone.

“What...was-“

“Dad!” Gir shouted before he suddenly stood up from his spot at the table, pulling his hood over his head once again. His bowl was almost licked clean, and his excitement was visible in the way he moved towards the door, his tiny hand reaching out to the doorknob.

“Gir, wait!” Skoodge got up quickly, following close behind. “Did you hear that? I don’t know if it’s safe for you to go out there.”

Gir turned, the surprise on his face making it clear that he had forgotten Skoodge was there. If just for a moment. He frantically waved his hands around.

“Uh! No! don’t worry! That was...my dad’s dog! I would recognize it anywhere.” He smiled, almost defensively. “It means he’s looking for me...” he almost looked guilty for a moment, like a child finding out he had worried his parents. Skoodge sensed this, as well as the fact that (in a roundabout way) Gir was telling the truth. His Dad was out there waiting for him. He saw the apprehension in the little boy’s eyes and smiled reassuringly.

“Well, you should go find him. I won’t keep you any longer.” He ruffled his hair through his hood, seeing Gir’s face erupt into a wide, relieved smile. “Thank you so much for joining me for dinner, Gir, you’re welcome to come back whenever you’d like!” 

Gir was practically bouncing off the walls as he reached out to hug Skoodge, wrapping his arms tightly around him.

“Thank you so much too!! It was delicious. And you are very nice!” He pulled away suddenly, smiling once more as he opened the door behind him into the cool, breezy night. Skoodge’s eyes subconsciously looked for the path of the driveway so he could point Gir the way out of the woods, but his eyes stopped at a figure standing about a hundred feet away. It was the image of a man, slightly shorter than Skoodge, but with bright red eyes that seemed to glow brighter the longer Skoodge stared. There was something intense about the man in general, in the way he stood and glared threateningly as if he was warning, daring Skoodge to come closer.

“Dad!!” Gir shouted again, dashing towards the figure. His own form faded into the darkness and Skoodge saw him grasp the man’s hand. He waved happily towards Skoodge as his companion continued to glare daggers, but his attention too was soon captured by Gir at his side. Some of the initial feelings of apprehension faded as Skoodge almost saw a relieved expression on the man's face. Then Skoodge watched from the warmth of his new home as both figures turned away and disappeared into the forest as they came.

The last thing Skoodge noticed was that, despite what Gir had said, his father had not brought a dog with him.


	2. Alcatraz

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skoodge meets some old friends, has a nice dinner with some new ones, and is two hours late to work.

_“Come on, Skoodge, it’s just a little while longer.” Zim barked behind him, both boys carrying heavy backpacks that Skoodge had been specifically instructed not to open._

_ The sun was hot over their heads as they trudged on through the forest. Skoodge had to practically trick his parents into letting him go out this far, both boys being only twelve, but his grandfather had eventually helped convince them so long as he was home by dinner. With all the unfamiliar scenery around them, though...He was starting to fear that they might never come back at all._

_ “Uh, Zim? Are you sure you know where we’re go-“_

_ “SH!” The other boy hissed back at him. “Of COURSE I know...Unlike you I practically grew up here, I know the landscape like the back of my ha-AGH!” He promptly tripped over a log. Skoodge’s arm shot out to catch him to help him, grabbing Zim’s hand before he could tumble downwards. He tried to stifle a laugh before Zim could yell at him. The other boy shook his head as he finally got his footing, picking up his fallen backpack and using their now-clasped hands to pull his friend along, muttering what might’ve sounded like a “thanks.”_

_ His demeanor changed quickly, though, as the telltale sound of rushing water became apparent..._

_ “THERE! I TOLD you we were almost there!” Any smugness that might’ve come through in that statement was overshadowed by excitement and soon enough Skoodge could see exactly why. _

_ Running through the clearing was a wide river that looked to stretch almost 300 feet between shores. The water ran rapidly through the clearing, but the actual depth looked to be very shallow. _

_ “Ugh! Not there! Look, look!” Zim reached a hand under Skoodge’s chin, pulling his line of sight towards a small, but lofty-looking island that rested in the middle of the rapids._

_ “Oh! It’s just like...” Skoodge’s eyes went wide with realization, unable to keep the grin off face. Zim’s enthusiasm was starting to become contagious._

_ “Uh-huh, Alcatraz.” Zim folded his arms proudly._

_ The trek through the water was...muddier than expected. A thick layer had caked onto both of the boy’s jeans, but at least it was indeed as shallow as Skoodge had thought. Zim spent the majority of the time talking about the building of the original Alcatraz island. It was one of his biggest interests in all the time Skoodge had known him, to the point that he had almost gotten banned from the library for tearing out illustrations of it from history books and hanging them up on his wall. Zim soaked up information about the location like a sponge, similarly to how he picked up on MOST information, but Alcatraz and it’s famous inmates were always the forefront. He had never explained to Skoodge why exactly he latched on so hard to that subject in particular, but Skoodge liked to listen to him talk, and it played a major role in a lot of the games they’d play together. This seemed to be one of those cases._

_ Once they climbed the steep shore Zim gestured towards a hastily made clearing._

_ “We’ll build the fort here!”_

_ “Build?” Skoodge let his bag drop to the ground, glad to finally pull the weight off of his shoulders._

_ “Of course, build! Even the real Alcatraz started as a fort before all the cool stuff! What did you think the tools I brought in your bag were for?”_

_ “You told me not to look in my...” Skoodge glanced towards the bag, unzipping the top to find his dad’s toolset. “Zim! Did you take this from our garage?”_

_ “Psssh! He won’t even miss it! And we’ll return it all once we’re done.” He opened his bag, taking out book after book on survival training, shelter building, and Alcatraz proper. “Besides, won’t it be cool to have our own place?”_

_ “Our...place?” Skoodge’s voice went soft for a moment. He’d never shared something closely enough with someone for them to include him in the description of “ours.” Even with his friends back in the city._

_ “I just said that!” Skoodge was taken aback by the sureness in Zim’s voice. Zim himself soon realized the implications though and turned his face away. “You...have to be here to do the heavy lifting, I mean- NOT THAT I COULDN’T DO IT MYSELF. AND....you can’t tell anyone about it, okay?”_

_ “Uh, of course! I wasn’t planning on it, Zim...” Skoodge waved his arms reassuringly. “I just...I’m glad that you chose me to share this with you.”_

_ “Hmph...yeah...I’mgladyoucamealongorwhatever..” His cheeks were a bright red now, and he spoke under his breath. He quickly cleared his throat, snatching up the tool pack from the ground and pointing towards the forest._

_ “Well!!! Come on! Uh, Alcatraz won’t build itself!” Zim sped off into the woods to look for supplies, leaving Skoodge behind as the sun shone hot above them. _

* * *

Skoodge woke up to the sound of loud banging against his door, shocking him out of his sleep. The eyes of his...visitor, last night still burned into his head. For some reason, he just couldn’t forget them, the bright red glare...

He was jerked out of these thoughts by muffled yelling.

“SKOODGE!!!”

Wait...That voice.

Skoodge quickly threw off the covers and pulled on an old t-shirt from one of his open boxes, walking outside the master bedroom and into the hallway. As he reached the den he looked out the window, seeing a small grin emerge on his guest’s face as his eyes widened.

“Tenn?”

“NO, IT’S YOUR OTHER CHILDHOOD BULLY DYKE. OF COURSE IT’S ME!” Skoodge quickly crossed the room, flipping the latch on the doorknob and opening the door.

He felt another rush of nostalgia upon seeing his old friend, even moreso when she instantly opened her arms for a hug. Tenn’s family had been friends of his grandfather and the two to essentially grow up as cousins. They had remained even closer for the fact that they came out and transitioned around the same time (though their early attempts to switch wardrobes didn’t exactly go off without a hitch-she was much smaller than him.)

“I thought you were dead, traitor.” She pulled away, punching him playfully on the shoulder and pushing a pile of envelopes into his hand. “I saw the name and knew it couldn’t be a coincidence. Let me be the first to say welcome back.”

“Thanks! Wow, it’s really good to see you again, Tenn. Are you...a postal worker?”

“Sometimes.” She shrugged. “I work in the office, mostly, but lucky for you we happened to get backed up on deliveries today.” She rolled her eyes, letting him know she’d been planning this since he switched his address. “I still can’t believe you didn’t call to tell me personally that you were moving. The betrayal is unbelievable.”

“I would have! I guess I didn’t know if you still lived here or not...” Skoodge was still partially waking up, and he couldn’t help himself from being embarrassed at not having kept in touch since his grandfather passed.

“Ha, that’s fair! I AM too good for this town.” She rolled her eyes. “But really, it’s alright! As unexpected as it was, I’m really glad you chose to come back rather than just put this place up for sale. Besides, I don’t think a cabin that was laying desolate for over ten years would have many takers anyway.”

“Eleven years actually.” He shook his head, putting his hands up defensively as she laughed under her breath. “No, no! I didn’t mean- It’s in great condition for how long it was empty!” He sighed, “And... I don’t think I’d have the heart to sell it anyway...This place still feels too much like home I think.”

“Yeah. I guess I get that too.” She smiled before checking the watch on her wrist “Hey, I have to finish this route, but there’s a bar and diner in town. Why don’t you meet me and my family for dinner tonight? Around six maybe?”

“Your family? Oh, definitely! Of course!” Skoodge paused, eyes widening as his attention was directed to her watch as well. “Wait...What time is it, Tenn...”

“Five past noon, why?”

“SHIT! I'M LATE FOR TRAINING.” Tenn’s eyes widened before she laughed.

“Calm down, Skoodge. I’m sure you-know-who will understand. But...just in case you should probably head over to the station as soon as possible.” She walked back towards her car and away from a nervously fidgeting Skoodge. “I’ll pick you up around a quarter till six. Good luck.”

She slammed her door shut and pulled out of the driveway as Skoodge scrambled to get ready.

* * *

The fire station was nearby, thankfully, but the fact that Skoodge was a little over two hours late for basic training probably didn’t help much. At least he was much more put together than when Tenn arrived at his doorstep, hair brushed and work clothes on. It was different looking like you just rolled out of bed to your old friend than looking that way to your employer. He tried to look inconspicuous as possible as he walked up to one of the people milling about the the station.

“Uh, hi. I’m sorry for the delay. I’m the new trainee, Skoodge?” The woman blinked, her mouth dropping open a bit.

“Your session was supposed to start at ten.”

“I know! Agh, I’m really sorry, I should’ve scheduled it sometime other than the day after I moved everything in but I must’ve overslept and-“

“SKOODGE.” Another familiar voice rang out from the office behind the woman, causing her to jump slightly and rush off. The door had been kicked open, slamming against the wall and revealing a tall, intimidating woman who marched forward “Ha! No word from you since your grandfather passed and now you just come back here and bother my recruits like you own the place.”

Poki had been Fire Captain for as long as Skoodge could remember. She was an old, loud, out and proud butch lesbian who came from the city years ago (as per her infrequent stories that Skoodge, Tenn, and many other children would stop by the fire station to listen to.) She always said she moved to ‘protect the integrity of the Appalachia from the irresponsibility of campers, locals, and tourists’ which usually caused these stories to end with her handing out fire-prevention pamphlets. It didn’t matter much, though; in a way, Poki gave them all a place to feel safe, and really not just from forest fires.

“F-Fire Captain Poki??? You’re still-“

“Of course I’m still here, why? You think I’m getting too old to be this town's captain anymore?”

“No! I-“

“Because I AM old, Skoodge. I’m 68 and kids your age still don’t care about the danger that comes with lighting fires this deep in the fucking wilderness.” She sighed, Skoodge now realizing she hadn’t changed much at all since he was a kid, “Meanwhile, the ozone layer is being destroyed and people MY age can’t be assed to fix it, leading to more damage to our natural environment. Plus, we’re short-staffed at the moment because the state government isn’t sending us any more guys, and our newest trainee hasn’t even shown up.”

“Fire Captain...I AM the new trainee...” He braced himself for a moment, but the woman in front of him just gaped.

“You grew up to be a firefighter, Skoodge?”

“Yeah! I mean...You were always really passionate about your job and helping people. I guess I wanted to help people too.” He smiled, feeling a bit bolder. “Plus it meant a lot to me since you were the only adult figure in town who was...also gay...I think you helped a lot of us.”

“Oh...” Poki paused, seemingly speechless for a moment, but she purposefully straightened her back. “Well....in that case, it’s good to see you again, Skoodge. I don’t know if Tenn told you to tell me all this to butter me up, but I like your moxie. Moxie alone does NOT excuse missing your training, though. Wait here.”

She took long strides to the office behind her. As she shut the door Skoodge could hear the clamoring of heavy books being taken off the shelves. She returned with a huge pile in her hands, ranging from topics such as basic fire safety procedures, forest fire-prevention, and documentation of invasive species, among others. She held them in front of her and dropped them unceremoniously into Skoodge’s arms. He staggered for a moment until he was able to find his balance.

“Read these and come back for your training session on Thursday. I will be testing you on some of this information, so study well. City experience can be vastly different than what you’ll need to know out here.” Her tone was authoritative, but she very plainly still had a smile on her face. She ruffled Skoodge’s hair for a second like he was a kid again. “As you were, Trainee.”  
As she walked back into her office Skoodge had the urge to give a mock-salute, but he knew the books would fall if he had. He settled for just walking back to his car, but as he turned he noticed a group of workers who had been spying on their conversation. He couldn’t blame them for their shock, he HAD gotten let off easy even if he was being sent home with homework.

* * *

_“It’s not that hard Skoodge, it’s just algebra!”_

_ “You keep saying that but that doesn’t mean I understand it!”_

_ The early August sun was westward over Alcatraz, almost blocked out by the sign Zim had made around two weeks ago, after they had finished the foundation of their clubhouse. It said “Zim and Skoodge’s Alcatraz Island. WATCH OUT FOR TRAINED CROCODILES” Zim, truthfully, did not outfit their secret hideout with trained crocodiles, but the point was to make trespassers THINK he did._

_ “Come on, use the distributive property to round that factor out to 65y and then simplify the rest.”_

_ “Argggghhh...I hate summer homework...” Skoodge was tired. It was hot out today and the firepit hot chocolate Zim had made earlier from his copy of “Epic Camping Recipes for Boys” wasn’t doing him any favors when it came to staying awake. He yawned and leaned onto Zim’s shoulder, to which the other boy paused before shaking him awake again._

_ “SKOODGE! You can’t sleep! We only have a month left until you have to go home, we can’t waste a single second.”_

_ This drew Skoodge’s attention. He knew that Zim had been relatively frantic the past few days, but he didn’t realize that it was because..._

_ “You’ll miss me when I go back home, Zim?”_

_ “Duh! Of course I will.” Zim smiled impishly. “After all, we have Alcatraz to protect, especially with Larb poking his nose around this side of the woods recently. We’ll need all reinforcements to drive him out.” He seemed like he was joking, but there was an edge to his voice...telling Skoodge that that wasn’t the only reason he didn’t want him to go. Zim shook his head before standing up and dusting his grubby t-shirt. “Well, since you appear to be hopeless with Algebra, let’s go tire-rolling again instead.”_

_ “Yeah!” Skoodge practically jumped up, glad to leave his book behind just shy of their hideout’s entrance..._

_ That night it rained, and Tenn later chewed both boys out for ‘borrowing’ her library card._

* * *

The bar Tenn drove him to when 6 finally rolled around was...bustling, to say the least. Skoodge suddenly realized why the streets had seemed so weirdly empty as he looked out at the mass of people. Some faces he recognized from his childhood while others were relatively new. He supposed the bar must have regular out-of-town business as well, seeing the rows of novelty t-shirts that lined the walls all emblazoned with “SOF’s BAR AND DINER” and a little cartoon that seemed like just a hasty recolor of the Big Boy mascot.

“This way.” Tenn smiled, gesturing towards a dark-haired woman sitting at one of the booths, someone Skoodge was sure he hadn’t seen before. She seemed intimidating, almost authoritative, but her face relaxed to a smile when she saw Tenn.

“You’re five minutes late, dear. Mimi was worried about you.” The woman chided in a slight accent before nodding her head towards a small, serious-looking girl playing one of the arcade machines. Tenn laughed as she took her seat across from Tak, leaving a bit of room beside her.

“Is that so, Tak? I’m so sorry. The wait must’ve been unbearable for the both of you.” She had a sarcastic edge to her voice as she usually did, but it was softened by something else; like her sarcasm was more an inside joke in this case. She gestured towards Skoodge. “This is the old friend I wanted you to meet, the one who used to visit when we were younger. And Skoodge, this is my wife Tak...and our daughter Mimi.”

Skoodge felt a tiny finger poke his side, making him jumped as he realized the girl he had seen at the machines had snuck up behind him almost effortlessly. She giggled a bit before her covering her mouth, allowing her face to return to its stoic mask. Her moms smiled. She inched her way into the booth with Tenn, facing her mother before silently moving her hand to the side of her lip, dragging it upwards to rest on her small cheek. Tenn laughed.

“Of course, kitty.” She picked her up, balancing her on her hip as she kissed her cheek. “Did you miss me while I was at work today?”

Mimi hid her face a bit, wrapping her arms around her as she nodded and tried in vain to obscure her reaction from Skoodge.

Skoodge took his seat across from Tenn and Mimi, landing him right next to Tenn’s wife. She still wasn’t looking at him and he wasn’t quite sure yet if that was a good or bad thing. The first thing he noticed about her was the fact that her arms were quite muscular, and the pleasant, smiling expression on her face quickly dissipated whenever her eyes would move from the other two members of her family. But her brooding, unaffected silence was soon broken by her wife.

“Hey Tak, would you mind leaning forward for a second? You have something right...” Tenn licked the tip of her napkin, eyes clearly drawn to Tak’s left cheek.

“What are y-ARGH!” Tenn, without warning, very obviously wiped away a tiny spot of motor oil from her wife’s face. She retracted her hand after the short contact, leaving Tak with her face promptly resting in her hands to hide an embarrassed blush. “I...could’ve gotten it myself, Tenn.”

“What, and let me sit through an hour of you trying to intimidate to our guest? Besides...WOULD you have gotten it yourself?” She tilted her head chidingly. Her wife grumbled but tentatively reached out to hold her hand, earning a warm smile from Tenn that seemed to lift her mood considerably. “Plus, judging off of Skoodge’s current transportation...I think he should at least be properly introduced to the town mechanic.”

“HEY! There’s nothing wrong with my truck as is!” Skoodge’s sudden defensiveness made both women laugh, the atmosphere in the room clearly shifting as their grins became almost contagious.

After that Tenn and Tak made short conversation about their days, Tenn talking about the newly-changed autumn leaves on her drive and Tak recalling her latest repair job. Skoodge soon realized that Tenn took every opportunity to brag in some way, shape, or form about her wife, leaving Tak trying in vain to hide her blush every time. Skoodge soon found out that Tak had single-handedly driven out TWO separate auto repair chains the mayors were trying to lure in, just from the ever-growing business at her small shop downtown. She worked a lot of odd hours, but could fix anything from a honda to a john deere (this was the only compliment Tak completely validated, not even trying to hide her proud smile.)

Mimi, meanwhile, was still partially clinging on to her mom as the group began to mull over the menus. Her other hand seemed to be occupied with scribbling on the kids' menu. Skoodge glanced over and noticed that all of her drawings were of cats, to the point that she wasn’t paying any mind to the cartoon characters printed on the page itself. Skoodge noticed her shirt was also dotted with tiny cats and pawprints, as well as her headband, which was black with a small pair of kitty ears. Skoodge smiled.

“Those drawings are really good, Mimi! You must like cats a lot.” He exclaimed. Mimi looked up, her eyes wide as if she had forgotten he was sitting there for a moment. She tried to keep down a smile as she nodded curtly, setting down her crayon and making a quick movement with her hands before pulling them towards herself again.

“She says thank you,” Tak spoke up from beside him. He looked over, noticing that she was smiling slightly. “And yes, they’ve been her favorite for as long as we can remember.”

“That’s interesting! I used to have a cat when I was a kid, a calico I think!”

Mimi looked up, her mouth forming itself into a little o-shape.

“Ha! I think you’ve gotten her attention!” Tenn laughed, Mimi tugged on her sleeve again and started signing frantically. “Oh, she wants to know if you still have one now. But considering where you live...”

“Oh! No, no, not right now. Maybe one day though! It’s a lot more room than my last apartment, after all.”

Mimi smiled, practically bouncing up and down in her seat before she picked up her crayons again, hiding her drawing from Skoodge as best she could. Both Tenn and Tak were smiling at their daughter’s reaction, but they also shared a look between them that Skoodge couldn’t quite decode. This moment was interrupted as they heard the waiter clear his throat beside them.

“Hello! My name is Gashloog, I’ll be your server tonight, can I get your names for the bill?” Tenn nodded.

“Uh, yeah! Of course! They should be under Tenn-“

“And Skoodge!” Skoodge piped up across from her. Tenn then glared jokingly at her friend before rolling her eyes. Of course he would be too generous to let her pay for him. Their server quickly jotted both down in his notes.

“Huh! Very interesting names you have there!” Skoodge and Tenn both looked up from their menus.

“Thanks, we picked them ourselves.”

* * *

The rest of the night went by quickly. They all ate their meals and Tenn pointed out regulars. She gestured towards Sof (or “Sneakyonfoota” to his mother,) “spiritual” owner of the bar that was actually fully handled by his uncle Sizz Lor, the town butcher. Nearby was Sof’s boyfriend Spleen, who apparently sold malware on the dark web for a living, and Larb. Skoodge remembered him vaguely from his visits as a kid, apparently he was a town cop now and Tak pointedly flipped him off whenever he looked even slightly in their direction. Skoodge also got some backstory to how Tenn and Tak met, at a paintball tournament of all places. 

“She stole my rightful victory so in exchange I stole her heart.” Tak joked, Tenn just rolled her eyes in response. 

By the end of the night (and a heaping serving of mac and cheese from the kids’ menu) Mimi had fallen fast asleep clinging to Tenn.

“Aww.” Skoodge smiled at the sweet girl as she hugged her mom close to her, and even more when his eyes caught her finished drawing. It was a drawing of a smiling, calico cat with curly hair. Under the drawing was written in messy, childs handwriting “For Scooge”

“Ha! I think you made a good first impression, Skoodge.” Tenn picked up her daughter in her arms, rocking her back and forth when she seemed to stir. “I better take her home. Tak would you mind driving Skoodge back to his cabin?” 

Tak nodded, smiling lightly as she leaned over to kiss her wife goodbye. They walked out into the parking lot and Tenn opened the door to her blue honda, buckling Mimi into her carseat and moving forward into the driver’s. Skoodge waved as his friend pulled out of the lot and Tak led him to HER truck.

In another universe it might’ve just been a normal, dark purple pickup truck, but it was obviously modified past the point of recognition. The fact that it lacked a visible brand made it seem like it was something she just pieced together herself from odds and ends but it looked...powerful to say the least. 

“Wow. This one’s yours?” She nodded and he almost caught a glimpse of pride in her eyes at his surprise.

“Did the modifications myself.” She pressed a button on her keys that automatically opened the doors to the driver and passenger seat, allowing both a chance to slide in. She revved the engine and smoothly pulled onto the main road.

They sat for the first few minutes in silence before Tak sighed audibly.

“I know you were trying to be nice at dinner but...You know you can’t have pets as far out as you are, right?”

“Huh? What do you mean? Why not?” Skoodge admittedly hadn’t considered getting a cat specifically before tonight, but the disappointment in Tak’s voice was...sobering. She dragged a hand down her face.

“Come on, don’t play dumb, there are signs practically all over town. The second a cat or dog even has a foot out the door they’re going to get snapped up. You know that right?”

“You...I thought, that they were just general precautions...”

“Well, they aren’t.” Tak seemed to snap, before sighing again. “We used to have a cat before all this. She got out one day and...I was the one who found her body. I had to tell Mimi she went to live upstate and she’s still beaten up about it. And that isn’t even the worst of it because the sightings aren’t ONLY attacks on animals. Mimi’s tough as nails but...”

“Oh Tak, I’m so sorry..”

She shrugged.

“It just...UGH, it makes me so angry.” She gripped the steering wheel for a moment, turning her knuckles white before she shook her head and purposefully loosened her grip, taking a deep breath “I wanted to say this at dinner but...You know, be careful out here.”

“Yeah...Thank you, Tak. That means a lot.” The image of the red eyes flashed through Skoodge’s mind once again, and he shook his head to get rid of it...He felt a sudden worrying for Gir and the noise he had heard last night. The howling of a dog that wasn’t with either of them.

Tak cut the wheel at Skoodge’s driveway, lighting up the path with her headlights as they went deeper into the forest. His cabin came into view and he couldn’t stop the same feeling of home from bubbling up in his chest yet again. Tak pulled over to let him out, waving her goodbyes. He was surprised to see the small smile light up her face again.

“It was nice getting to meet you, Skoodge. I hope we can all do this again. And you better hang that drawing up on your fridge.”

“You know I will, Tak. It was nice meeting you too!” He waved back as she began to back up to turn her car around.

Skoodge wouldn’t know this until the next morning, but he’d just as soon have to call Tak again. His tires were slashed during the night.

* * *

“Ha! You see Gir? That’ll scare him off for sure.” Zim laughed boomingly, disturbing some birds resting in a tree nearby. 

Gir was silent as him and his father walked home that night, noticeably pouting as they made their way towards the small canoe in the clearing. Zim noticed as the boy stopped walking, looking towards the ground with an angry expression and refusing to step inside the boat.

“Gir...What’s wrong?”

“You didn’t have to do that to that man’s car...he seemed so nice...”

His dad paused for a moment as his face seemed to contort defensively. He almost went to argue but he quickly caught himself, instead sighing and leaning down to Gir’s height.

“I know he was nice, Gir, but winter’s on its way and we must get our cabin back before then. Besides! Remember all our items those...AGH...INTRUDERS threw out when they were “cleaning” OUR home...All of those supplies lost. Humans know nothing of VALUE and I’m sure this new human is the same way.” Gir looked down at the ground as his dad went on another tangent. His frown deepened.

“But...we still didn’t have to break HIS things…”

“Gir, don’t be ridiculous. Humans won’t listen unless we speak their language back to them, it’s simple eye-for-an-eye.”

“But what if we don’t even need the cabin! I’m strong! I’ll be fine on Alcatraz island!” Gir flexed a tiny muscle in demonstration. Zim shook his head.

“No you won’t Gir, children need a HOUSE to stay in when it gets cold...Alcatraz is reserved only for the Spring and Summer.”

“Hm...Why don’t we ask him if he’d let us live WITH hi-“

“NO!” Zim shocked himself almost as much as Gir with his own outburst. “I-I mean, we don’t NEED to ask him...This was our house first, fair and square.”

“Ok...” Gir looked down, despondent as his grip tightened on his father’s hand. Zim knew he probably felt bad for what his father had done to Skoodge’s car, and that sent a pang of guilt through Zim himself. He hesitated for a moment before wrapping his arms around Gir, picking him up in a hug.

“Alright, Gir. I promise our future attempts to get our home back will not be so...intense.” Gir nodded, and Zim smiled as he carried him to the canoe, sitting him down on the seat opposite him. Gir sniffled slightly, and Zim tried to smile as reassuringly as he could. “Hey, do you want me to read you the wolf book again once we get home, Gir?” 

His face brightened a bit as he nodded, wiping his eyes with the sleeves of his hoodie as Zim paddled off towards Alcatraz Island.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Huge thank you to everyone who left kudos and comments on chapter 1 ❤️ just letting everyone know I'll be attempting to release a chapter every second Friday so watch out for ch. 3 coming soon! Also yes, Skoodge is a trans gay man in this fic and Tenn is a trans lesbian :)


	3. The Wolf

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Skoodge has been in town for the better part of three weeks at this point, but he still doesn't know all of its secrets. In this chapter he has his nice dinner interrupted and finally the realizes the consequences of traveling on a Full Moon while revisiting his old hideout.

“Wait, you did ALL the reading that Poki gave you in three weeks?” Tenn quirked an eyebrow in disbelief.

“Uh, yeah! She told me to get it done as soon as I could so..”

“Skoodge...No offense, but I don’t think anyone in that station has done half of the reading Poki’s given them,” Tak interjected, setting down her drink and speaking a bit louder over the clamor of Sof’s Bar and Grill. This made Tenn laugh, bringing a small smile to her wife’s normally stoic expression.

“Oh shush, I can’t be the only one! From what I’ve heard she even has her own test.” Skoodge frowned pointedly.

“Yeah, but we already KNOW that stuff! Poki’s been practically drilling it into us since we were kids, remember?” Tenn smiled. “But...I think it’s sweet that you don’t want to disappoint her, she is kind of our town mom. But still...three weeks?”

“I’m just a fast reader, I guess!” Skoodge shrugged.

Mimi was back at the games again, sitting on the stool Sof had reluctantly given up from the bar so she could reach the buttons. Altogether it felt like what had become a normal Saturday night for the four. Spending time together at least once a week had become somewhat of an unspoken ritual, and one Skoodge was grateful for. One of his biggest fears in moving was being alone, but Tenn had almost immediately taken him into her little circle, and the other members of town had become noticeably fond of him as well over the past few weeks. It really did feel like he was back home here even with...the incidents.

Despite all the good that had taken place these last few weeks, there was a lurking suspicion that he was being watched. After his tires were slashed, he’d found warnings cut into trees on the property, firewood stolen from his piles, and his favorite pair of pajamas (a homemade pair with fabric depicting muscular, shirtless firemen that always made Skoodge laugh) had been stolen off of his clothesline. He also wasn’t getting much sleep from the pinecones and rocks thrown at the sides of his house all hours of the night. It felt like someone desperately wanted him gone but was always just out of sight, even becoming desperate enough to leave gristle and bones of animals on his doorstep. He had suspicions of who it was, but also felt bad suspecting Gir’s father with no evidence...especially when he hadn’t seen the small child around himself since that first day.

He had tried to make what contact he could in this time, of course. He left notes hammered into trees only to find them practically shredded to bits in the morning, he tried calling out into the woods only to hear the faraway sounds of animals being scared away, he even tried leaving food outside just in case it WAS an animal and he was just being paranoid. By the next morning, everything he had left out had been taken away, dishes and all, but that was the end of it. He had contemplated telling Tak and Tenn about it, but decided finally that he had worried them enough the night his tires were slashed (Tak even offered to let him borrow her shotgun) but luckily the mechanic was distracted by the amount of preexisting problems with Skoodge’s old car and the conversation was forgotten. He could still tell they worried though, so he mostly kept quiet about the whole thing. But still...even now he still felt the overwhelming sense of foreboding gnaw at him.

He was jerked out of his thoughts as Mimi ran back towards the table, joining the booth with Tak and clinging to her before signing frantically.

“Shit...” Tenn’s eyes were drawn towards the door as two tall, intimidating figures walked in. A hush fell over the bar’s patrons as their eyes scanned everyone, almost acidic smiles on the two newcomers’ faces. Skoodge got a chill up his back as he recognized them. His childhood bullies now looking more like businessmen than anyone who would live this far in the Appalachia. Tak threw back her drink, glaring towards the wall and clearly trying not to be noticed.

“Red and Purple?...” Skoodge looked towards Tenn as she nodded.

“MAYORS Red and Purple.” A voice rang out from beside them, making Skoodge jump as Red suddenly spoke. Fuck, why were people in this town so good at sneaking up on him all of a sudden?

“Wow, I didn’t expect the man of the hour to be so...short still!” Purple chimed in, muttering under his breath “...and ugly.” Skoodge almost shrank in his seat at that comment. The bar had returned to it’s previous noise, but the energy from before seemed like it had directly concentrated itself around these two. Red narrowed his eyes at his associate before he cleared his throat.

“What my co-mayor is TRYING to say is, welcome back Skoodge! We are all so...pleased, to have you back with us.”

“You’re...both the mayor? Is that legal?” Skoodge tilted his head slightly.

“Of course, it is!” They practically responded in unison, almost cutting his question off with how quickly they assured him. Tak rolled her eyes and buried her face in her menu.

“Anyway!” Red spoke again. “We’d like to congratulate you on your amazing work in neutralizing the threat of feral wolves plaguing our community, didn’t know you had it in you!” He almost looked like he was about to wink, but moved instead to nudge Purple, who had begun to snicker quietly.

“I’m sorry, neutralize? What do you mean? I haven’t done anything like that.” Skoodge’s voice was tinged with confusion, which was then mirrored by the mayors.

“I can second that. I’m pretty sure Skoodge would’ve told US if he had killed anything recently.” Tenn piped up, her tone noticeably pointed.

“Well, you had to have done SOMETHING, right?” Purple raised an eyebrow. “Ever since you showed up vandalism reports in relation to feral dogs have gone down dramatically, that COULDN’T have been a coincidence!”

“You mean...You think I have something to do with the wolf problem slowing down?” Skoodge’s eyes widened.

“Obviously!” They spoke in unison again before Red frowned. “You...really haven’t noticed any kind of change around here the past few weeks? Have you spent time around anyone aside from your...present company, at ALL?”

Skoodge looked around the bar, self-conscious at the realization of how many eyes were drawn to him.

“I....” He paused, noticeably sweating. “I guess I didn’t notice any changes in particular, but...”

“So what if he hasn’t?” Tak was now looking directly at the two figures. “He’s not stupid for not having noticed, he’s busy at the fire-station every day. He’s probably kept more people safe than you two have in just the three weeks he’s been here.”

“Hey! Shut up!” Purple practically had fire burning behind his eyes. Red put a hand on his shoulder, trying to calm him down while noticeably fuming himself. He forced himself to look towards Skoodge, pretending she hadn’t even spoken.

“Well, it’s a shame if you don’t know anything, we were almost going to offer you a small position at town hall.”

“Yeah! We always need more coffee boys-OW” Purple was met with another sharp nudge from Red, who quickly pulled out a business card from his pocket and handed it to Skoodge.

“We know how hard it is ‘getting rid of’ such a...creature. If you ever want to fess up, just give us a call and the reward is yours.” He winked before leading away his associate to the doors, leaving into the cold November air.

“Did they...REALLY just come in here to bother us and then leave?” Tenn laughed. “God, how pathetic.” Skoodge let out a breath he had been holding in.

“That was...terrifying.”

“You handled yourself well enough. A lot of people give in to what they’re saying almost immediately.” Tak almost sounded...proud. Skoodge looked down at Mimi, who gave him a tiny thumbs-up before taking up another kid’s menu and starting to draw like nothing had happened.

“But also, Skoodge, are you ABSOLUTELY sure there hasn’t been anything going on in your neck of the woods? You do live pretty far out.” Tenn frowned, and he could sense her worry almost immediately. He swallowed the urge to tell her about what had really been going on.

“N-No! Of course not! At least nothing in regards to, whatever there was going on before!” Okay, technically not a lie as far as he knew!

“Hmmm.” She narrowed her eyes. “Okay, just. You know you can tell us if anything happens, right? I know you were gone for a long time but, you’re still family dude.” Hearing her say that lifted his spirits slightly.

“Yeah...I know. Thanks Tenn.”

“Of course!” She smiled. “Now, we should probably get our orders together, I’m pretty sure Gashloog was just waiting for them to leave this whole time.”

There was a definite lightness in being able to talk like this again with his friends, almost fully dissipating the nervousness from before. The night went on almost as normal; but as always, the uneasiness still grew in the pit of Skoodge’s stomach.

* * *

  
Skoodge let out a sigh as he let himself sink into his chair. It was relatively early into the night, Tak and Tenn refused to keep Mimi out past 7, but fatigue spread through Skoodge’s body anyway. Maybe it had something to do with the stress he’d been feeling over the past few weeks...Strangely, there hadn’t been any visible changes as Tenn had pulled into his driveway, or as he got out of the car and waved goodbye and thanked her again for the ride home, but even so the worry had become almost a constant. He only had a few moments before the swift knock on the door, followed by what was, to Skoodge’s relief, a familiar voice.

“Skoodge! Let me in, I forgot to give you something in the car.” Tenn’s voice rang out from the other side of the door. Skoodge stood up, feeling a bit less tired, or at least a little less alone right now.

He was greeted with a familiar smile as he unlatched the front door to find Tenn holding out a long, wide, flat box wrapped in “happy birthday” wrapping paper. A handful of ‘birthday’’s were crossed out and replaced with “new house.”

“Here! A bit of a late-housewarming gift.”

“Oh my god, you didn’t have to do this, Tenn! That’s really thoughtful!” He reached out, taking the package from her hands.

“Oh shush, I meant what I said at Sof’s. You’re family, Skoodge.” She walked in, sitting down at the kitchen table as Skoodge tore into the paper.

It was a (sort of kitschy, mostly sweet) painting of a cat sunning itself in the window with a gold-colored frame. It looked like something you’d see in a grandmother’s house, to be honest, but Skoodge had to stop himself from hugging it to himself all the same.

“Skoodge, are you crying?”

“Aha, maybe a little bit.” He wiped at his eyes lightly. “It’s just, really sweet. I, really can’t say how much it means to me to have you all here for me again. Especially since...” He almost let the stress out right then and there, practically sealing his mouth shut and looking down as he set the painting down on the table. He didn’t want to ruin the moment with making her worried...

“Skoodge...” Tenn paused for a moment before pulling him into a hug, “about what happened at the bar earlier...you know I’ve been able to tell since were were kids when you’re lying to me, right?”

“...I guess I hoped I’d gotten better at it.”

“You haven’t.” She almost laughed, patting Skoodge’s back. “I...I didn’t know if you wanted me to press. I was surprised that you came back in the first place after Zim-“

“What about Zim?” Skoodge pulled away suddenly, jerked out of his thoughts by the name. Tenn gaped for a moment before realization leaked into her still-widening eyes.

“No-no one told you?”

“Told me what?” His voice lined with concern.

“Skoodge...” she trailed off for a moment before sighing, looking down at the ground. “Come on, we need to sit down.” She rested a hand on his shoulder, leading him towards the living area as he felt his heart dropped into his stomach. Fear, apprehension, confusion all swirled around his head. The foreboding was back, stronger than ever this time.

Tenn rested her head in her hands for a moment as she sank into the couch, the room silencing around her. She dragged them away as she leaned forward.

“Skoodge...do you remember that Summer you came back, and Zim was gone...”

Skoodge’s heart dropped a moment, not fully comprehending. He scratched the back of his head.  
“Uh...I guess so. I always thought he just moved away or something..”

“Haha. That’s, exactly what they told us too, at first.” Tenn looked up like she was collecting her thoughts. “I think the first thing you deserve to know is that, this whole wolf...thing...it’s happened before.”

“What do you mean?”

“The months before you came back there was a series of attacks. Mostly animals at first, dogs, cats, raccoons and shit..but...then Zim disappeared too.” She exhaled. “He had been acting, weird? Beforehand anyway...as the attacks got worse he’d just get cagey and defensive. Soon kids started to pick on him, he started to cut me off, he skipped school constantly, everything. I think...he was just scared of admitting the place he loved the most wasn’t safe for him anymore...”

“That’s awful, Tenn...Wh-what happened after that?”

“Then he just disappeared.” She shrugged, looking down at the ground. “We thought at first he was just running away again, but he never came back and the attacks just...stopped. I like to think he stopped it. But I don’t think even Zim could survive something like that...” She looked over, noticing the misty look in Skoodge’s eyes. He wiped at them, letting out a shaky exhale.

“So Zim didn’t move away...he’s...” The tears were practically leaking down his face, unable to cough out the last word. It hit him like a freight train as he remembered how vibrant Zim was, how alive. It didn’t feel real, it felt like a nightmare and like he was a stranger again.

“Skoodge...I’m so sorry. I wish I never had to tell you this. I wish he HAD just moved away.”

“A-and,” he took a deep breath, wiping at his eyes fruitlessly, “whatever it was that might’ve killed him is back now?”

Tenn nodded slowly.

“They think it’s some kind of new breed or some shit. Maybe a virus. All they know is that whatever it is isn’t just a normal fucking wolf.” She sighed.

“Tenn...” Skoodge paused for a moment, before reaching out and wrapping his arms around her again. “I...I never got the chance to say goodbye, I thought that...”

“You couldn’t have known, Skoodge. Zim cared about you more than anyone. He knew you’d be back by next summer, he talked about it almost every day before the attacks started...”

“I’m really sorry Tenn...I think I need to be alone right now.” He pulled away from the hug, his eyes red from the tears, Tenn nodded.

“Of course...Skoodge, if you need anything call me, okay? I’m here for you, and so is Tak.” She stood up, voice more genuine than Skoodge could remember. He gave a halfhearted smile.

“Thank you for the gift...I’ll call you tomorrow morning, okay?”

“Okay, sounds good.” She smiled back as she walked to the door, giving a wave to her friend. “Take care of yourself, Skoodge. We’re all thinking of you.”

The door shut after one last reassuring smile, leaving Skoodge alone in the room that felt smaller, quieter, than it ever had.

* * *

  
_“Come on Skoodge, just a little further this way. You’ll thank me when we get there.” Zim grasped the hand of his friend as they trudged up the hill, avoiding trees where they could. Being led by someone else made it a bit easier to navigate, but the shadows cast over the trees still made Skoodge queasy with nerves. This was far from the first time Zim was able to sneak him out without his parents knowing...but he couldn’t remember ever being THIS far out THIS late at night._

_ “Zim, maybe we should go to Alcatraz instea-“_

_ “NO! Now close your eyes Skoodge, we’re almost there..”_

_ Skoodge reluctantly shut his eyes, letting his friend guide him along. Despite his injuries during their numerous games in the past, Zim seemed to be almost...careful not to let any branches hit Skoodge as they walked along. He also noticed his palms sweating slightly, as if he was nervous._

_ The familiar squish of leaves on the ground soon faded away, and the shadows behind Skoodge’s eyelids became lesser and lesser, fading into a singular, inky darkness. Zim stopped, almost falling over as Skoodge ran into him from behind._

_ “AGH! Watch where you’re going, Skoodge!”_

_ “Uh...Zim? My eyes are closed.” He could hear his friend huff and mumble under his breath._

_ “Okay then...understandable. Now sit down.”_

_ Skoodge did what his friend said, confused about this game or whether it was really a game at all. He felt Zim settling down beside him, pausing for a moment._

_ “Okay, now open your eyes and look up. I bet it’s better than ANYTHING you have in that city of yours.”_

_ Skoodge opened his eyes, instantly taken aback by the blanket of stars overhead. They were sitting in a field that was tinged soft blue with the light. Zim had told him before that human eyes couldn’t actually pick up colors in dark environments...that might’ve been partially true, but they were arguably just softer here, like a dream._

_ “There, you see? Zim would never lead you to a place that was anything less than amazing.” Zim was grinning ear-to-ear in a proud smile. Skoodge couldn’t even speak for a few moments._

_ “Wow...Zim, this is amazing! I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many stars out at home...”_

_ “Of COURSE you haven’t. Your ‘home’-” He punctuated this with exaggerated air-quotes. “Has unbelievable amounts of light pollution. I’d be surprised if you could see a single constellation in your...STUPID city...” Zim practically spit out that last statement, but Skoodge was used to this kind of vitriol. In fact, he agreed with almost every criticism he could make of his home for a majority of the year. It was small, and loud, and bright, and most of all: it didn’t have Zim. _

_“Aha! I guess you’re right...plus all the buildings are pretty hard to see past anyway.” Skoodge leaned back, lying down to look at the canopy above the both of them. “Zim this is…really nice.” I’m glad you took me out here.”_

_“...Of course, Skoodge. Don’t mention it.” The other boy looked away, flustered for a moment. Skoodge absentmindedly linked their hands together as they both looked up at the stars._

* * *

  
_“I still don’t see why you have to go.” Zim’s voice broke the silence as they walked down the driveway to the cabin, holding his hands in his pocket as a crisp breeze flew past them._

_“Pssh, you’re not the only one who thinks that, to be honest.” Skoodge kicked a pebble in his path, watching it bounce off a tree nearby. He’d been...almost uncharacteristically quiet on the walk home. It was starting to worry Zim, to be honest...Did he freak his friend out? Did he not like him anymore? Was he simply counting down the seconds before he could go home and leave Zim FOREVER? (Or at least until next summer.)_

_But the atmosphere shifted further as they reached the cabin, specifically the window leading into Skoodge’s room. As Zim opened his mouth to break the silence he felt a weight press against him as he was engulfed by a hug._

_“I don’t want to go…” Skoodge wept, clinging to his friend tightly, before repeating himself._

_“Woah. Is your home...really that bad?” Zim almost stuttered as his friend held onto him in the tight hug, feeling drops of tears stain his jacket. He blinked and realized with embarrassment that he was crying too, quickly pushing them down before Skoodge could notice. Skoodge shook his head, letting out an embarrassed laugh._

_“No...I-I’ll just...Really miss you Zim..”_

_Zim felt himself almost subconsciously wrap around his friend, hugging him back as tight as he could even if he was a lot less strong._

_“I’ll...Miss you too Skoodge, more than I can say...”_

_He laughed lightly, pulling away from the hug._

_“Ah sorry, you must think I’m really lame, huh? I’ll see you next summer, anyway.”_

_“No! No Skoodge I...I understand.” His voice was more genuine than even Skoodge could remember it being, something that shocked him to the core. “And besides, bold of you to think the almighty Zim would choose someone “lame” to be his best friend.”_

_This made Skoodge laugh, finally able to wipe away what was left of his tears and take a calming breath. He waved as he quietly hoisted himself up onto the rope. It was just as sturdy as they had left it, wow, Zim had gotten really good at making these._

_Skoodge lifted himself through the window, only tossing the rope back out when he was securely inside and on the ground. Zim caught it in both of his hands( barely, it was a lot longer than it probably needed to be,) and smiled. It wasn’t a “typical” Zim smile either. This was genuine, and maybe even sad, like this was the end of something despite the fact that they’d see each other tomorrow._

_“Zim...I just want to say, thank you for taking me out tonight. It was really fun!”_

_“Psssh, of course it was. Zim is the BEST at fun...even so, I’m...glad you liked it.” His smile turned more bashful, and he lifted his hand in a wave goodbye._

_“Hey Zim? I’ll see you tomorrow right?” This brightened the other boy up almost immediately, smile turning into a toothy grin._

_“I-OF COURSE YOU WILL! You are a fool if you think you can get away from ZIM that easily!” Skoodge laughed, hoping the clamor of his friends voice didn’t wake his parents up._

* * *

  
“I...God, I thought I’d know what to say when I got here…” Skoodge knelt down, looking into the gaping maw of what used to be his old clubhouse.

Alcatraz itself was a great deal smaller than Skoodge remembered it being. It was still a relatively large patch of land, but nothing like when he was a kid. He thought about how that might’ve been because Zim was there, his loud voice and laugh echoing through the trees...the island felt...hollow without it. It was especially jarring when paired with the fact that so much on the island itself was exactly how Skoodge remembered it. He had to look away from the sign that had greeted him a dozen times before because just seeing something as instantly recognizable as Zim’s handwriting...it was too much. The setting sun cast a shadow inside the clubhouse as he climbed the steep incline, and though Skoodge thought about what it might be like to go inside...he couldn’t bring himself to.

“...I just can’t believe you’re gone.” He looked down, he was crying again. A part of him felt ashamed of that, or just...guilty. He remembered how Zim hated to see him cry and would usually jump to distract him in some way. Now there was just silence.

He sighed, trying to compose himself despite the fact that it was getting harder and harder to breath. “I guess I didn’t take into account how much of this place feeling like home...was just being around you. I love Tenn, and Tak, and Mimi and Poki but…” He wiped at his nose, now practically dripping snot. “They...I just...I’m sorry for all the years I thought you just left without saying anything. I’m sorry for trying to forget about you, I’m sorry I couldn’t just stay behind with you-” He choked himself up, putting his hands to his face as he tried to grasp at the words. He felt the atmosphere around him like a steel trap as he began to wail, trying in any way to stop the crying, to turn the pit in his stomach into something else. All the stress from these past few weeks, all the grief and guilt he’d felt over feeling like his friend had left him, the mourning he only now realized he never got to feel poured out. His hands let in a soft blue light as the sun fully set, casting everything into the pale illumination of the moon and sending the shadows of trees inching towards him like hands.

Then he heard another scream. Loud, inhuman and pained as something struggled in the bushes. Skoodge pulled his face up through his hands, seeing a figure no more than ten feet away, writhing in pain and appearing to be growing as it stood under the shadows of the forest. Its hands began to crack as it flexed its fingers, sharpening into claws as its ears pinned back against its skull. Its mouth was wide open and drooling onto the ground. Its figure settled into something Skoodge recognized as a gargantuan wolf, hunched over on its hind legs and almost twice his size. It stared at him with deep, glowing red eyes that pierced through him, eyeing him as if sizing up its next meal. The warnings of Skoodge’s friends shot through his brain as he realized he should’ve been more careful traveling through the woods at night, and for several seconds was petrified.

But...as he raised his hands defensively it seemed to come to its senses, shaking its head frantically and forcefully turning away. It bolted in the opposite direction, moving to all fours with its movements staggering and desperate. It yelped in pain as it stumbled forward, but continued to run. It looked hurt in some way, or sick at the very least

“NO! COME BACK!” Skoodge noticed a tiny, familiar form running after the wolf. It seemed to not hear Gir though as it jumped into the water, trying in desperation to get away. Skoodge felt his legs carrying him to the side of the island, pulling back a terrified Gir who tried to jump into the water after the wolf.

“Gir! stay here!” Skoodge pulled his t-shirt over his head as he jumped in, shocked to see the creature now trying to escape through the flowing river but failing as the pushback of the water only slowed him down. Skoodge was able to make his way quicker, both trudging and paddling as the water reached his mid-waist. Meanwhile the wolf’s head dipped periodically under the waves, body splayed out even though it should’ve been shallow enough for it to stand. It looked exhausted and fell almost completely unconscious by the time Skoodge was able to wrap his arms around it.

He huffed as he pulled the wolf back to shore. The creature seemingly only able to paw its way up the sand before passing out. Skoodge stood up, trying to catch his bearings when he felt Gir cling to his arm, trembling.

“Is he...Dead?” Gir’s eyes were wide, and he was visibly pale with shock. Skoodge leaned down as he began to reassure him.

“No! No he’s just...Resting.” He looked back at the wolf, its deep breaths wracking its body. It looked exhausted to say the least. “Gir...What are you doing out here? What is...He…”

Gir opened his mouth but just as quickly clamped it shut again, shaking his head, Skoodge only now noticed the small stuffed moose he clung to tightly. It was dirty, and well worn, but something about it was so strangely familiar.

“Please...Can you help him…I can’t...I don’t know what’s happening.” Gir was weeping now, scared by the concept of having to handle this all alone, to be left alone. Skoodge paused for a moment before looking back to the giant wolf, and...though a nagging voice in the back of his mind warned him against this, he made a decision. He walked over to the body of the wolf, moving to pick him up in his arms. He was DEFINITELY heavy, and Skoodge internally thanked his training at the station or else this would be borderline impossible.

“Come on, Gir. You have nothing to worry about. I’ll take care of him.” He tried to smile reassuringly, and Gir’s eyes widened as he nodded his head towards the direction of the lake and his cabin past the woods.

* * *

The trip home was in NO way a piece of cake, by any means. Luckily Gir had shown him towards a boat on the island so neither of them would have to trudge through the river again, but even with that help it took around an hour for Skoodge to reach his cabin with Gir and the wolf in tow. He was grateful he had another helping hand to open the door, though, as he gestured to the hide-a-key in his garden for Gir and carried the wolf inside. By now it was still passed out but slowly drifting in and out of a shallow consciousness. He felt the dried mud still caking the wolf’s fur, and immediately walked with it to the bathroom, carefully setting him down in the tub that just barely fit him.

“What are you doing?” Gir stood in the doorway as Skoodge reached for the showerhead, adjusting the temperature to a comfortable warmth.

“He got a lot of mud in his fur from the river...I don’t want it to stay there in case it cools him down too much.” He turned on the showerhead, starting to softly rinse over the wolf’s fur as his red eyes shot open. The wolf jumped up momentarily before letting out a pained howl, squinting his eyes shut before shaking mud all over the bathroom. Skoodge raised a hand to keep it out of his face and couldn’t help but notice the tiny, relieved giggles from Gir in the doorway. He raised his hands in a reassuring motion, hushing the wolf softly.

“Hey, hey..No need to freak out, I promise I’ll be as fast as possible.”

The creature narrowed its eyes again, pausing before finally relenting, fully realizing that he lacked the strength to get away. His eyes softened as he noticed his pup standing nearby. His pup smiled before walking over to the tub to pat him softly on the head. He gave a soft whine as an apology before nuzzling Gir’s hand.

“Aww…” The wolf seemed to shoot a glare back at Skoodge, but adjusted himself reluctantly to give him a better reach. Skoodge smiled as he turned the showerhead back on and rubbed small circles into the wolf’s fur to loosen the mud. Soon he visibly relaxed, closing his eyes and leaning against the side of the tub as Skoodge continued to wash him off. Skoodge didn’t have any shampoo he knew would be safe for dogs, but was still able to wash out his fur to be relatively clean and soft again. He turned off the faucet and the wolf gave a small, but non-threatening, growl at the loss of warmth. He looked a lot less scary like this...Though the strange bone structure of his limbs and face still looked...Off. The wolf raised his head as Skoodge picked him up out of the tub. He attempted to wrap the wolf in a towel to help him dry off, but his normal bath-towels barely wrapped around its midsection. The wolf gave a short bark, almost a laugh as it instead shook itself off, flinging dirty water onto the walls.

Skoodge sighed and made a mental note to clean the water, hair and mud off the walls tomorrow as Gir laughed, seeming much calmer than before. The creature staggered slightly, lying down on the cool tile floor as the lack of energy caught up with him. His stomach growled as Skoodge stepped back slightly.

“Wait! I think I know what might help. Gir, are you okay watching him while I’m gone?”  
Gir nodded, patting the creatures head again as it struggled to keep its eyes open once more. Skoodge left into the kitchen, gathering up some raw, chopped stew beef he’d been saving for tomorrow. Gir’s...wolf, obviously needed some food inside of him if his lack of energy was any indicator. He returned a few moments later with the meat and a bowl of water, setting them next to the tired animal. He started eating immediately, lapping up the food much quicker than Skoodge had expected. He almost seemed re-energized just from being in the proximity of nutrition. Skoodge’s heart sank as he realized he just left this small child in the company of a starving wolf, and swallowed thickly at how much of a risk he’d just inadvertently took. He shook his head, trying to not think about it as he forced a smile.

“Ha! See Gir? He was fine all along...He just needed something to eat.” Skoodge paused for a moment, happy to see the relieved look in Gir’s eyes, but a thought in the back of his mind still nagging at him… “Gir. Shouldn’t you be heading home? I can take care of your dog until tomorrow but won’t your dad be worried about you?”

Gir hugged his stuffed moose tighter to him, and Skoodge couldn’t help that vague sense of familiarity gnawing at him again.

“Uhhh...No! He doesn’t expect me home and…” He seemed to be grasping at straws to come up with an explanation for not wanting to leave. “And...I just want to make sure my dog’s alright!” Skoodge noticed the wolf stop eating for a moment, looking up at Skoodge with an expression that was almost...worried.

“Hmm...Well I-”

“OH I KNOW! I can call him! Just one second!” Gir ran out into the hall before Skoodge could ask any questions, leaving him behind on the floor of the bathroom.

Skoodge felt a pressure on his hand, looking over to see the wolf had shifted in its spot, now resting its head on his hand. It closed its eyes before Skoodge could read the expression in them, but he felt something much...calmer in the wolf’s presence now. The food had seemingly helped as his movements were less staggered, but had also done its job in tiring the poor thing out. A part of Skoodge felt...almost honored at the trust, realizing he’d never actually been this close to a “wild” animal before now...He tentatively reached out his hand to pat its head, and the wolf sighed calmly.

“OKAY HE SAID YES!” Gir ran back into the room, the moment he was gone suspiciously short for an entire phone call. He met the eyes of the wolf again though, almost apprehensive and hoping Skoodge didn’t notice. Skoodge sighed.

“Okay, Gir. You’re welcome to stay in the guest bedroom tonight if you want. There should already be blankets on the bed.” He stood up, gesturing for the wolf to follow him into his own room. He supposed he didn’t mind it sleeping in there for the night, he wanted Gir’s pet to be safe and he wouldn’t exactly fit the couch in the living room. The wolf stopped at the edge of the carpet, almost confused as Skoodge gestured to a spot next to the bed.

“Uh...You can sleep here tonight.” Skoodge could practically hear Tenn laughing at his attempts to communicate in any way. The wolf paused, almost narrowing its eyes as it instead walked towards the bed. It climbed upwards, taking up half of Skoodge’s queen when he lie across it. He rolled around for a moment, taking in the new scent and trying to get comfortable, and as he finally did he looked challengingly at Skoodge as if daring to make him move.

“Uh...Okay. I guess the bed’s fine too. Dog, or Wolf, hair isn’t...THAT hard to wash out.” Skoodge paused for a moment before almost chuckling at this new development. At least Gir’s wolf had left enough room for Skoodge in the process of taking what it assumed to be its spot.

Skoodge was jerked out of his thoughts as Gir yawned loudly beside him, rubbing his eyes.

“Okay. Let’s get you to bed too, okay?” Skoodge smiled, ruffling Gir’s hair as Poki so often did to him. He nodded as Skoodge led him to the door of the guest room. It was plain enough...but Gir’s eyes lit up at even the twin bed and old (but soft) quilt Skoodge had gotten from his mother. Skoodge didn’t typically have guests but...he thought it’d be important to outfit the extra room with a comfortable-enough bed just in case. He was grateful he thought about that now. Gir practically rushed over to get under the covers, rubbing his face against the pillow as if he could fall asleep immediately. Skoodge couldn’t help but smile.

“Do you want the door open or closed?”

“Open please!” Gir smiled drowsily before looking down bashfully. “And...can you leave the bathroom light on..”

“Of course.” He nodded. “And if you need anything else I’m just down the hall. Have sweet dreams, Gir!”

“Sweet dreams Skoodge!” He held his moose close to him as he closed his eyes, smiling softly and drifting to sleep.

Skoodge looked outside as he caught a glimpse of the living room. The moon was bright, illuminating almost everything outside, including the tiny snowflakes that drifted onto the fallen leaves. He smiled, turning off the hallway light (but not the one in the bathroom!) before walking back to his own room. Gir’s wolf was curled up on one side of the bed and looking at him expectantly. He thought he’d have to sleep on the couch at least tonight...but it looked like there was still enough room. He quickly changed into his pajamas and slipped under the covers, letting the wind outside and the quick breaths of the giant dog beside him lull him to sleep. In the back of Skoodge’s mind, however, he couldn’t shake the question of why these two were on Alcatraz in the first place...And where had he seen that doll before...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the delay in uploads! It's been a busy few weeks with school and going to cons. I'm glad I could get this next chapter out on full moon eve though :) Thank you all so much for sticking around and I hope you enjoy the chapters on the way!


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